The Legend Of Zelda: Conquering Darkness
by Darth-Carnage
Summary: A battle between Link and his dark reflection.
1. Chapter 1

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: CONQUERING DARKNESS

CHAPTER 1

Two warriors stood face to face on a grassy plain. One a handsome young knight, clothed in a green tunic and hat, wielding a legendary blade and an indestructible shield. The second a shadowy reflection of his opponent. The warriors clothes were blown about as the wind swept around them. The Shadow's red eyes glowed with hatred and rage, a complete negative to the strong yet kind eyes of the young knight. "You cannot defeat me Link," The Shadow said, with a cruel smile curling it's lips, "you cannot defeat the darkness within yourself." Link said nothing and simply drew his blade, looking expectantly at The Shadow.  
"Very well, we shall see who is the greater warrior,"  
The Shadow lunged at Link, drawing it's blade and slashing downwards. Link blocked with his shield, and countered with a jab. The Shadow anticipated this and leapt just in time to balance perfectly on Link's sword and slash his arm. Link jumped back and readied himself once more. The Shadow lunged again, but Link was ready. He side stepped and went to bash his shield into The Shadow's side, but the dark warrior rolled forward, avoiding the shield completely. "You're not half bad Link," it sneered, "but I know every move you can make, nothing you do can surprise me." Link simply smiled as a small voice replied, "True, but you don't have a fairy." At this a small blue ball of light appeared from Link's sheathe. Navi the fairy darted straight at the dark creature, hovering just out of it's reach, Link lunged at The Shadow and drove his blade deep into its chest. Inky black liquid began to flow across Link's blade. The creature let out a strangled groan and melted into the earth. Link put away his sword and looked to Navi smiling, who landed lightly on the hilt of his blade. "Well that wasn't so bad," she said happily. The two began walking across the grassy field, but they failed to notice the black figure materializing out of the dark stain where the creature had fallen. The sound of a sword being drawn halted Link. He turned just in time to see The Shadow reappear and leap towards him. Link rolled away and raised his shield as the dark warrior began raining blows onto him. Navi flew at The Shadow once more, but it knocked her to the ground and raised his boot to stomp on her. Link tackled the creature to save Navi, Link and The shadow wrestled for a moment before Link was knocked away. They raised their swords and began trading blows. The peaceful grassy field was now full of the sound of ringing blades and crashing shields. Link finally gained the upper hand and knocked The Shadow to the ground before plunging his sword into the creature once more. This time the black liquid sprayed from the wound like a fountain covering Link and the ground around them. Once again the creature melted into the ground and left only a dark stain. Link ran to Navi and found that she was only a little stunned. He went to pick her up but stopped suddenly as searing pain went through his chest. He looked down to see a black blade protruding from his tunic. A dark stain appeared on his clothes as an evil voice whispered in his ear. "I told you boy, you can't kill your own darkness." The Shadow ripped it's sword from Link's back and cackled as darkness filled Link's eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2  
As Link opened his eyes he saw that night had fallen, and he was alone in the grassy field where the dark creature had stabbed him. Confused he looked where The Shadow's blade had torn through his chest, but the wound had healed. His tunic however was completely ruined. He felt for the jar where he had kept his captured fairies, who had the power to revive him should he ever fall, and found that it was was the last thing on his mind though as he realized that Navi was nowhere to be found. He searched the field for any sign of the fairy or the creature but no trace was left of either of them. He retrieved his ocarina, a gift he had received from princess Zelda long ago, and played the song that would allow him to speak to Saria, the sage of the forest. "Link?" Her voice drifted to him, from out of nowhere, as if the leaves and grass were whispering to him. "You're very lucky Link, had that fairy not revived you I don't think there would have been much hope for you. The Shadow has taken Navi, as well as Epona." As Saria told him this, Link finally noticed that indeed his horse was missing. Saria continued as Link chastised himself for not having noticed earlier that his faithful companion was gone, "I'm not sure what The Shadow intends to do with them, but your friends are in need of you once more, you must save them." With that Saria's voice drifted away with the wind. Link picked his sword up from the ground and wiped the dirt off of it. The Master Sword, the legendary blade wielded by The Hero Of Time. Link had used this blade to slay countless creature of evil. Now he would use it to slay a true monster, The Shadow. The Shadow was Link's most formidable foe, no matter how many evil sorcerers or undead beasts he killed, The Shadow always returned. Each time more and more powerful, Link had always been able to put the creature down, but this time it had gotten the best of him. Link had never heard the creature give a motive. It always attacked before even attempting. That in itself was something that made the creature unique. Where other enemies made a point to smash something, cast a spell, or give some ridiculous speech, The Shadow simply attacked. On the rare occasion it did speak, it simply told Link that he would lose. This time, it seems, it was right. Link sheathed The Master Sword, and started to run, though he quickly stopped. He had always had Navi to give him an idea of where to go. Now he was on his own. He decided to head first to Kakariko. A village not far from the forest where he had been raised. It was possible he would learn something from the gossipy villagers that inhabited Kakariko. So once again setting off at a run he made his way across the field, silently praying to The Goddesses that he would soon see his companions safe.

Navi awoke to find herself seated on someone's shoulder. Which was strange in itself because she didn't like sitting on shoulders, not Link's anyways. He moved around to much and she always found herself being tossed around. As she looked at her surrounding she found that she had somehow ended up in Clock Town, a place far from where she had been when Link- Link! She looked at the person whose shoulder she sat and found that indeed it was Link, yet it also wasn't. She couldn't explain it. But he had a strange look about him. His hair appeared wilder and his tunic and hat were dirty, and torn. Navi looked and saw that Link's sword also appeared strange. It looked worn and old. The Master sword, even after the harshest of battles, always looked pristine and new. It was, after all, a magical blade. And Link never looked so beaten and weary. He too, always looked pristine. Navi had attributed that to his status as The Hero of Time. Can't have heroes running around all scruffy looking now can we? The Strange Link spoke to Navi in a voice that was harsh and cruel, which was even stranger since she had never actually heard Link speak, "So you're finally awake Navi. You've been asleep for quite some time now."  
"How did we end up in Clock Town?" She asked, "This is all the way in Termina! That's about as far from Hyrule as you can get!"  
The Strange Link smiled, not the kind, warm, and brave smile she had come to know and love mind you, but something darker and far less kind. "I thought we could spare the time to visit our old friends. It's been quite some time since we've seen any of them." Still confused Navi asked, "but what about The Shadow?" At this question The Strange Link looked away and said in a very dark tone said. "The Shadow is none of your concern fairy." A little unsettled by his reply, Navi decided it may be best to stop asking questions.

Link walked solemnly up the path to Lon-Lon Ranch. The small establishment where he had first met his horse Epona. He had asked all around Kakariko village, as well as around Castle Town and the market, but no one had seen Navi, Epona, or The Shadow. As he made his way towards the gate that separated The ranch and the fields, he noticed a man running along the trails in the field. It was nothing strange, Link had seen this man many times. A runner who spent basically all of his free time jogging around the fields. Link ran to catch up with him. Hoping the strange man had seen some sign of his companions. As he approached the jogger he saw surprise on the man's face. "You!?" He said, "how are you here? I saw you not long ago at all riding your horse to the forest, yet here you are with no horse!" Link didn't bother to ask any questions he simply took off at a sprint towards the forest. When he arrived he found that the forest was different. The Kokiri people were a strange race who for some reason never aged, they remained children their entire lives. These people, who had helped to raise him as a child all had strange looks about them. Usually, upon entering the forests, Link was greeted by the sound of flutes and laughter. But now flutes were being used as weapons, and the laughter was cruel and heartless. A large group of the Kokiri children were decided to gang up on one. Link ran to break up the fight. He dragged the child away as he was pelted by rocks and sticks by the cruel gang. After getting out of range he checked on the child and found that beneath the wounds and bruises it was Mido, the self proclaimed leader of the Kokiri. During Links younger days, Mido had bullied him for just about any reason he could find. Link had sometimes found himself resenting Mido for that, but now he felt only pity. "Those jerks," Mido huffed refusing Links attempts to fix his hat, "they just attacked me for no reason." Considering that Link knew Mido quite well, "no reason" seemed like a bit of a stretch to him, but he allowed him to continue. "We were all playing a game with that guy on the horse, when out of the blue he yells, 'first person to break Mido's nose wins!'" To Link, by the look of it, someone had won quite a while ago. "We were all having fun, that guy can up with a new game where we smash stuff up, it was great! But then he turned out to be a jerk too." Link suddenly became aware of the state of the houses and huts in the Kokiri village, most had had their limbs ripped off and snapped, those that hadn't were covered in graffiti stating rude things about someone's mother, most likely carved with a sharpened stick or rock. As Link escorted Mido home, he watched as the gang of kids glared at him hatefully. He did a double take as, for an instant he thought he had seen their eyes flash red. He shook it off as imagination and brought Mido inside to let him finish his story.

LOZ CHAPTER 2  
As Link opened his eyes he saw that night had fallen, and he was alone in the grassy field where the dark creature had stabbed him. Confused he looked where The Shadow's blade had torn through his chest, but the wound had healed. His tunic however was completely ruined. He felt for the jar where he had kept his captured fairies, who had the power to revive him should he ever fall, and found that it was was the last thing on his mind though as he realized that Navi was nowhere to be found. He searched the field for any sign of the fairy or the creature but no trace was left of either of them. He retrieved his ocarina, a gift he had received from princess Zelda long ago, and played the song that would allow him to speak to Saria, the sage of the forest. "Link?" Her voice drifted to him, from out of nowhere, as if the leaves and grass were whispering to him. "You're very lucky Link, had that fairy not revived you I don't think there would have been much hope for you. The Shadow has taken Navi, as well as Epona." As Saria told him this, Link finally noticed that indeed his horse was missing. Saria continued as Link chastised himself for not having noticed earlier that his faithful companion was gone, "I'm not sure what The Shadow intends to do with them, but your friends are in need of you once more, you must save them." With that Saria's voice drifted away with the wind. Link picked his sword up from the ground and wiped the dirt off of it. The Master Sword, the legendary blade wielded by The Hero Of Time. Link had used this blade to slay countless creature of evil. Now he would use it to slay a true monster, The Shadow. The Shadow was Link's most formidable foe, no matter how many evil sorcerers or undead beasts he killed, The Shadow always returned. Each time more and more powerful, Link had always been able to put the creature down, but this time it had gotten the best of him. Link had never heard the creature give a motive. It always attacked before even attempting. That in itself was something that made the creature unique. Where other enemies made a point to smash something, cast a spell, or give some ridiculous speech, The Shadow simply attacked. On the rare occasion it did speak, it simply told Link that he would lose. This time, it seems, it was right. Link sheathed The Master Sword, and started to run, though he quickly stopped. He had always had Navi to give him an idea of where to go. Now he was on his own. He decided to head first to Kakariko. A village not far from the forest where he had been raised. It was possible he would learn something from the gossipy villagers that inhabited Kakariko. So once again setting off at a run he made his way across the field, silently praying to The Goddesses that he would soon see his companions safe.

Navi awoke to find herself seated on someone's shoulder. Which was strange in itself because she didn't like sitting on shoulders, not Link's anyways. He moved around to much and she always found herself being tossed around. As she looked at her surrounding she found that she had somehow ended up in Clock Town, a place far from where she had been when Link- Link! She looked at the person whose shoulder she sat and found that indeed it was Link, yet it also wasn't. She couldn't explain it. But he had a strange look about him. His hair appeared wilder and his tunic and hat were dirty, and torn. Navi looked and saw that Link's sword also appeared strange. It looked worn and old. The Master sword, even after the harshest of battles, always looked pristine and new. It was, after all, a magical blade. And Link never looked so beaten and weary. He too, always looked pristine. Navi had attributed that to his status as The Hero of Time. Can't have heroes running around all scruffy looking now can we? The Strange Link spoke to Navi in a voice that was harsh and cruel, which was even stranger since she had never actually heard Link speak, "So you're finally awake Navi. You've been asleep for quite some time now."  
"How did we end up in Clock Town?" She asked, "This is all the way in Termina! That's about as far from Hyrule as you can get!"  
The Strange Link smiled, not the kind, warm, and brave smile she had come to know and love mind you, but something darker and far less kind. "I thought we could spare the time to visit our old friends. It's been quite some time since we've seen any of them." Still confused Navi asked, "but what about The Shadow?" At this question The Strange Link looked away and said in a very dark tone said. "The Shadow is none of your concern fairy." A little unsettled by his reply, Navi decided it may be best to stop asking questions.

Link walked solemnly up the path to Lon-Lon Ranch. The small establishment where he had first met his horse Epona. He had asked all around Kakariko village, as well as around Castle Town and the market, but no one had seen Navi, Epona, or The Shadow. As he made his way towards the gate that separated The ranch and the fields, he noticed a man running along the trails in the field. It was nothing strange, Link had seen this man many times. A runner who spent basically all of his free time jogging around the fields. Link ran to catch up with him. Hoping the strange man had seen some sign of his companions. As he approached the jogger he saw surprise on the man's face. "You!?" He said, "how are you here? I saw you not long ago at all riding your horse to the forest, yet here you are with no horse!" Link didn't bother to ask any questions he simply took off at a sprint towards the forest. When he arrived he found that the forest was different. The Kokiri people were a strange race who for some reason never aged, they remained children their entire lives. These people, who had helped to raise him as a child all had strange looks about them. Usually, upon entering the forests, Link was greeted by the sound of flutes and laughter. But now flutes were being used as weapons, and the laughter was cruel and heartless. A large group of the Kokiri children were decided to gang up on one. Link ran to break up the fight. He dragged the child away as he was pelted by rocks and sticks by the cruel gang. After getting out of range he checked on the child and found that beneath the wounds and bruises it was Mido, the self proclaimed leader of the Kokiri. During Links younger days, Mido had bullied him for just about any reason he could find. Link had sometimes found himself resenting Mido for that, but now he felt only pity. "Those jerks," Mido huffed refusing Links attempts to fix his hat, "they just attacked me for no reason." Considering that Link knew Mido quite well, "no reason" seemed like a bit of a stretch to him, but he allowed him to continue. "We were all playing a game with that guy on the horse, when out of the blue he yells, 'first person to break Mido's nose wins!'" To Link, by the look of it, someone had won quite a while ago. "We were all having fun, that guy can up with a new game where we smash stuff up, it was great! But then he turned out to be a jerk too." Link suddenly became aware of the state of the houses and huts in the Kokiri village, most had had their limbs ripped off and snapped, those that hadn't were covered in graffiti stating rude things about someone's mother, most likely carved with a sharpened stick or rock. As Link escorted Mido home, he watched as the gang of kids glared at him hatefully. He did a double take as, for an instant he thought he had seen their eyes flash red. He shook it off as imagination and brought Mido inside to let him finish his story.


	3. Chapter 3

Navi looked on in horror as Clock Town fell into madness. The people who lived there were usually so peaceful and kind, but now they waged a small war. A death match had broken out amongst some of the people. Men and women beat each other with everything from clubs and stones, to their bare hands. The rest of the townspeople carried torches, swords and anything else they could wield as a weapon, which they used to smash and burn the homes and buildings which they themselves had built. The Bomber Gang, a group of kids who spent their time helping the people in the town, now dragged people hogtied through the street laughing. As Navi hovered above the creature she now knew wasn't Link, she felt as though she'd be sick. She wasn't about to show weakness though, and immediately shook the feeling off. She turned away as The Not Link smiled at her and chaos consumed the small town. "You can't deny it," he said, "watching the fools that inhabit this place slaughter each other is the most entertaining thing that has ever happened here." Navi now understood, she cursed herself for not having realized earlier. The man she was with, wasn't a man at all, but instead a monster. A creature Navi had learned to know and hate very thoroughly. The creature looked to Navi and smiled as it's eyes glowed red and The Shadow revealed itself. Navi wanted to flee, to run and find the Link, but she physically couldn't. Whenever she tried to fly away her wings refused to work the way she wanted, it was as though they no longer answered to her. Somehow, The Shadow was keeping her there with dark magic of some kind. "Well Navi," The Shadow said, yawning, appearing to have become bored with the horrifying show, "as much as I want to watch these imbeciles destroy each other, we have an important engagement to see to." Navi was forced by the dark magic to follow The Shadow as it set off for whatever horrible thing it had planned next.

Link had been walking through the Lost Woods for a full day now. He was very tired, and though the forest was one of his favorite places, he wanted to sleep. The Lost Woods, a place so hard to navigate that almost no one ever made it all the way through. Link, however had been raised amongst the people of the forest, and he had many times traveled through the Lost Woods. As he walked in the direction of Termina, Hyrule's neighboring kingdom, a land where he had once stopped yet another evil creature from destroying the world, Link could hear the flutes of the Skull Children. A group of lost spirits who inhabited the forest, the skull children were a mischievous, but docile group. Link had learned from Mido, that a strange man, who looked similar to Link, had passed through the forest. The mystery man had stopped just long enough to cause a bit of chaos in the forest, before moving on in the direction of Termina. Link had only been to Termina a few times, and never had he walked there on foot. It usually took around two days to make the journey on horse back. He hated it, and knew he should continue walking, but Link knew it would be best for him to make camp, and settle down for the night. He found a small clearing around twelve feet wide with a large log directly in the center. He didn't think he would find a better place, so he set his equipment down and started on making a fire.

Link once again found himself face to face with The Shadow. The creature's crimson eyes glowed, and a wicked smile curled it's lips. The two warriors drew their weapons and rushed each other. Blades rang and shields clashed as they battled. Link gained the upper hand and knocked the dark warriors shield away. They continued the battle and before long, Link had The Shadow on the ropes. Just as he was about to deal the final blow, Link was distracted by the sound of hooves and jumped out of the way just in time to avoid being trampled by a black horse. The Shadow stood and swung up onto the horses back, drawing raising it's black blade once more. The horse reared back and charged at Link, with The Shadow's blade aimed directly for Link's heart. Link was unable to block as the blade pierced his chest. For as he looked into the horses evil eyes, behind the madness and bloodlust, Link recognized Epona.

Link awoke gasping for breath and clutching at his heart. He looked around himself and saw that he had been dreaming. The sun had yet to rise, but he could see glimpses of its golden rays peeking through the trees. Link's fire had died out late in the night, and the forest was chilly and wet in the mornings. So, using a flint stone, Link began to relight what few faint embers remained of his fire. He soon had a roaring blaze, warm enough to keep him dry til the sun was high enough in the sky for him to set off. As Link sat by the fire, he heard the leaves behind him rustling and the sound of wood clunking against twigs and pebbles. Link pretended not to hear the Deku shrub behind him, and just as be heard it take a deep breath, he seized his blade from it's sheath and sliced the air behind him. As he felt his blade make contact with a hard surface, Link saw two halves of a Deku nut hit the ground. Link plunged his hand into the bush behind him and seized hold of the thickest branch in the bush. As he yanked it free it became clear that it wasn't a branch he had hold of but the arm of a young Deku scrub. The plant like creature threw up it's hands, while it shrieked and jabbered incoherently. Link wasn't the greatest at understanding the Deku people's strange language, but from what he understood the shrub was begging for it's life. The Deku was young, as far as Link could tell. It was small, it's rough wooden flesh was a light brown, and was marred by deep gouges and cuts. It had relatively little hair, if you can call leaves hair, and it was dressed in torn rags and chewed up leaves sewn together. The Deku's large snout wiggled around as it emitted high pitched squeaks and squeals. It's fiery amber eyes were full of fear, and it's entire body trembled. As the Deku continued to shriek and beg, Link could tell that it was completely terrified. He realized that the tip of his sword, which was held inches from it's eye, probably wasn't helping. Link sheathed his blade and picked up his shield in case the shrub decided to spit anymore Deku nuts at him. The creature continued to babble, and from what link could understand it was promising him jewels and riches. Link simply shook his head and began to pack his equipment. He stomped on the fire and began to set off towards the sunrise, until he suddenly heard the creature say something about a shadow. Link stopped and began paying closer attention to the Deku's gibberish. He was able to make out that the creature had been living alone in the forest for many weeks, scavenging off of anything he could find. It claimed that a cruel man who looked similar to Link had been passing through many times, going back and forth between Termina and Hyrule. The shrub described how each time the man passed he made a point to use the Deku as target practice with his bow, which explained why the shrub had attacked Link. Link wanted to stay and hear more but he didn't have time to try and decipher the creatures ramblings. Link doubted he would get much more information out of the hysterical shrub anyways. Link reached into his pocket, pulled out a rupee, and tossed it to the Deku. The small gem was red, which meant it was worth twenty. That was enough for the shrub to get some food should any traveling vendors pass by. The creature ceased it's shrieking and picked the gem up. It then began gibbering once more, this time Link could tell it was thanking him. Which confirmed his suspicions that the earlier offers of riches had been lies. Link set off once more, the sun had now risen higher and the air was far warmer. As he clomped through the trees he was able to make out a large hollow log. Behind him he could still hear the Deku shrub's gleeful shrieks and shouts. Link smiled and moved in the direction of the log. He was half way there.

Navi squeezed her eyes shut as tears rolled down her face. She and The Shadow had left Clock Town in total chaos, but as she exited the town she saw something that truly made her sick. Link's loyal mount Epona stood snorting and stamping. Her ashen mane was unusually messy, and disheveled. Epona's usually beautiful red fur was matted down with blood and covered in dirt. Some areas were completely bald as though someone had simply torn the fur away. Navi could see many cuts covering Epona's body. She was most shocked, however, by the look in Epona's eyes. The kind, gentle soul that was usually visible through the horse's eyes was replaced by something mad and hideous. The beautiful animal Navi had known for so long was now a beast, tortured to insanity, and perverted by someone cruel and horrible. "What did you do to her!" Navi shouted angrily. The Shadow smiled wickedly and replied in an amused voice, "I made her mine. I took something pure and good, and brought her down to my level." He then laughed as Navi sobbed. "But she is the least of your worries fairy, because what I'm about to do to you, will really be something." The Shadow seized her from the air and mounted the corrupted Epona. As the creature rode towards whatever plan it had for Navi, she felt the most potent sense of terror, that had ever filled her tiny heart.


End file.
